Put Your Care in A Physicians’ Hands, Not an Insurance Company’s

When you are working and become injured, getting better should be your only concern. All too often, employees must deal with insurance companies instead of taking time to get well. 

It can be difficult to sit idly by and suffer while an unqualified professional makes decisions regarding your health. Knowing your rights is the first step to moving your workers’ compensation claim forward. 

Uneducated Guessing 

In the past, Illinois lawmakers have made great strides in health care. A study illustrates that the state legislature reduced the overall cost of medical fees by 30% in 2011, but has done little to help its citizens in that regard since. In addition, research shows that specific care costs such as physical therapy and radiology are 30% higher than the average of the 18 states involved in the study. 

Costs are not the only factor that is relatively high. Injured employees also have a greater rate of doctor visits than any other state examined, and while there are no regulations that put a cap on the number of visits allowed, companies still deny patients’ claims based on those grounds. In other words, it is the insurance company that determines how often you can receive care for your injury, not your physician. 

Making the Right Choice 

Treatment might be expensive, but businesses have workers’ compensation insurance specifically to handle those costs. Your health care should not be contingent on a business’s bottom line. Your physician is the only one qualified to make those decisions. For example, physical therapy may be the more costly option but may help you to avoid surgery and even more missed work down the road. 

When insurance companies make decisions that are not in your best interests, you need to know that there are options. Taking control of your health when injured on the job is every employee’s right, and letting physicians determine the best course of action can only lead down the road to a better you.